Mutant
by luvHaru7
Summary: Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.
1. Prologue

Summary: Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

Disclaimer: Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling, owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter One**

"_After him!" one of the boys shouted. There were four of them, all chasing the terrified young wizard. Turning a corner after a block, he pushed his legs to carry him faster and farther still as he looked around in panic for a place to hide. Darting into a small alcove, Tom Marvolo Riddle held his breath as the muggle boys ran past. After several minutes, the shouts faded and he stole a glance at the deserted street. _

_It had been an honest mistake, really. Walking through muggle London, looking at the interesting shops, he had seen a girl some years younger than him trip over a raised portion of pavement. Not thinking, Tom had whipped out his wand and quietly canted a spell to slow her fall. The girl, stunned, floated to the ground. Too late, he had realized how foolish his action had been. One of the boys across the street was pointing out the girl to his companions and then back to the thirteen-year-old wizarding boy. When the boys kept glancing back at him as they whispered, Tom started walking slowly down the street. After a block or so, he glanced back. They were following him some fifty feet behind. He'd quickened his pace, knowing there would be trouble if he didn't escape. As he'd progressed down the street, the shops seemed grow older and people became sparser. Glancing behind him, he'd confirmed that his pursuers were still following him. He'd walked a half a minute more, bracing himself. He'd begun to run._

_Confirming that the coast was clear, Tom took in his surroundings and made his way cautiously back to the secret place where he could return to the odd, but safe, wizarding portion of London._

_That evening, Tom sat in Madame Henning's Bookshop flipping through a book. Madame Henning had given him a curious look when he made his inquiry, but searched a bookshelf to the left before pulling out a volume called _Exposure and Exploitation: A History of Muggle Mishaps_. Settling into a chair near the back wall, he flipped through the book._

_"In 708 AD, a group of witches and wizards was found out in a village near Lyons, France during a summer festival. The persons involved were held captive in a wooden room painted over with an anise extract (1). When the party consistently refused to succumb to the greedy and eager wishes of their muggle captors, their skin was cut and the anise extract poured over their wounds, killing them. One of the muggles involved was heard bragging about it some months later in a tavern. A present wizard followed him out that night and killed him, reporting the incident to the wizarding authorities for proper handling of the involved villagers."_

_"In 327 AD, a remote wizarding village in northern Italy was discovered and its inhabitants taken captive by the Romans. Under the threat and influence of anise extract, the witches and wizards were brought to the Roman Colosseum where they were forced to defend themselves against drugged and violent wild animals while their own powers were mostly inhibited. Despite strong attempts by the local wizarding authorities to rescue the persons involved, only eight villagers were successfully retrieved. Three of these survivors died soon afterwards of anise poisoning. Mass memory modifications were placed on the city of Rome, causing most, if not all, witnesses to forget the status or their human entertainment."  
_

_Tom sighed at his great fortune to escape his dangerous situation that afternoon. Standing up, he made his way to the front counter to purchase the book._

**Footnotes:**  
(1) Anise extract is a solution of alcohol and anise (see the Wikipedia article on herbal extracts). For the purposes of my story, the circumstances that bring about wizardry also leave witches and wizards with a violent allergy to anise. Milder allergic reactions usually render the affected person unable to use magic or think clearly, while stronger reactions often result in death.


	2. Chapter One

Summary: Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

Disclaimer: Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter One**

Draco Malfoy was sitting in the Great Hall, glaring at his breakfast as Crabbe and Goyle shoved at one another in another asinine argument.

"Arithmancy does not have a "t" in it."

"It does too."

"No it doesn't. It's spelled with an "s.'"

Draco rolled his eyes. Even for a Friday, it was too early in the morning to hex them. Getting elbowed in the arm once again, Draco scooted over with his plate to escape further shoving and jabbing and settled for poking at his eggs with a fork. Crabbe and Goyle forgot their argument as the owls came in with copies of the Daily Prophet. Each had grabbed their own and begun whacking the other with it. Draco caught his own copy before it landed in his breakfast and set it to his right for safe keeping from the antics of his dim-witted housemates. Another, smaller owl dropped a letter on his lap. He picked up the letter and opened it.

_Draco, your marks are still unacceptable. I don't think you're taking this seriously. This is your seventh year. I expect improvements._

_- Lucius Malfoy_

Draco clenched his fists. It wasn't his fault that that stupid mudblood Granger always got higher marks than him. Except in Potions, he corrected himself. In Potions, he still had higher marks, but that knowledge was of little comfort to him. He pulled out a quill and, moving his plate aside, wrote out a reply to his father.

_It isn't right that a stupid girl with muggle parents gets higher marks than me. I'll try harder._

_-Draco Malfoy_

He stood and left the Great Hall. Making his way down the corridor to the Owlry, Draco nearly collided with a sleepy-looking Hermione. _Stupid bookworm probably spent all of last night doing next month's homework._ He sneered at her and continued towards his destination.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was standing in a room with Voldemort when an owl flew up to the window with a letter. He went to the window and retrieved the letter. He grimaced at his son's obviously hasty reply. It was almost frightening how immature the boy of seventeen could be. Voldemort looked up from the chart he was poring over and beckoned him. Lucius handed the scrap of paper to his leader, who read it quietly before speaking. "That girl's as likely as any other. I want him to bring me a sample."

"Should we tell him everything?"

Voldemort reached into a drawer and drew out a small vial and stopper. "Not just yet. Tell him to deliver the sample in person."

Taking the vial, Lucius did as he was bid.

* * *

Hermione Granger pored over a book in the library. The title of her latest conquest was _Herbal Extracts and Their Magical Properties_. Ron and Harry walked up to her table. Hermione looked up at the boys. "Did you need something?"

"Not really. We were wondering if you wanted to come out to the lake with us. The Slytherins have the field today, so we're holding quidditch practice over the lake."

Hermione stared at Ron for a moment in disbelief before Harry spoke. "I know you don't like flying, but maybe you'd like to watch?"

She looked at her book and looked back at the boys. "Um, I'm sorry, I was intending to finish this book tonight. Maybe next time?"

"Oh… alright," said Ron, disappointedly. "We'll see you later, then."

"Bye, Hermione."

Some hours later, Hermione had finished her notes for the book and moved on to another called The Origin of the Wizard. It was around ten o'clock when Hermione resigned herself to exhaustion and checked out her book with Madame Pince before heading back to her dormitory.

* * *

Draco Malfoy looked at the letter in his hands once more before burning it. Its contents had haunted him through the evening.

_Draco, I have instructions for you. You are to use this vial to collect a sample of Hermione Granger's blood. Use a stunning charm to render her unconscious. Be sure you are not seen. Deliver the sample back to the manor in person tomorrow._

_- Lucius Malfoy_

It was nearly ten o'clock in the evening and Draco knew where the mudblood might be found. He made his way quietly to the Library and stopped outside, waiting. Some minutes later, a tired Hermione walked out of the library, still holding a volume. Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes and followed a short ways behind her as she walked down the dark corridor. When they were well away from any potential witnesses, he pulled out his wand. "Stupefy," he whispered. He saw Hermione crumple to the ground as the red light faded. "Lumos." Draco kneeled down to turn her over. She was still clutching her book. Now he did roll his eyes. Taking out a personal knife, he made a small cut on the side of her arm. He held the vial up to her skin and applied pressure intermittently to keep the blood flowing until he had what he needed. Muttering a spell to extinguish the light stemming from his wand, Draco put the stopper in the vial and slipped it in his pocket before dragging Hermione to a niche in the wall where he left her to resume consciousness as he made his way back to his own dormitory.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary:** Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

**Disclaimer:** Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter Two**

Draco Malfoy awoke early on Saturday morning. Rising quietly out of bed, he dressed, secured the vial of blood in his pocket, and grabbed his broomstick before leaving the Slytherin dormitories. He walked past the few people already awake in the common room. It wasn't unusual for a quidditch player, especially a seeker, to rise early for individual practice.

Walking out across Hogwarts grounds, Draco found a secluded area by the lake. Standing beside a large London Plane (1), he scanned the shoreline and found his target. Walking a fair fifty feet, he came to an out-of-place knitted hat in Slytherin colors. He had found it just inside the kitchens on a late-night food run in fourth year. Several of the house elves had asked him to take it, saying it made them uncomfortable and distracted them from their work. Draco had eventually deduced that it had been planted by Hermione during her SPEW days. For a knitted hat, it really wasn't that bad. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing it, of course, but he had found it made a decent portkey. Who would suspect Draco Malfoy of manufacturing an illegal portkey from a hat made by Hermione Granger? Reaching for the hat, he spoke the words that would activate the secret portkey, "_Malice manorus_." Bracing himself for the nauseating journey, he took hold of the hat.

As expected, Draco landed rather ungracefully on the floor of his father's study. Picking himself up, he brushed the dust off his robes and made his way over to the desk. Draco tensed slightly. It was always strange to actually meet with the Dark Lord. Lucius spoke, "I presume you have the sample?"

Draco hesitated a second, the words caught in his throat. "Yes," he confirmed, pulling the vial from a pocket in his robes.

Voldemort took the vial from him and reached once again into a desk drawer. He pulled out a long and wide parchment like to the one he'd pored over the previous day. Laying it out on the desk, the Dark Lord turned to Draco. "Do you know what this is, boy?"

Draco tensed further, "No, my lord."

Pulling up a chair behind Lucius' desk, Voldemort gestured for Draco and Lucius to sit as well. "This, young Malfoy, is a heritage chart. Do you know what it does?"

Relieved, Draco answered, "Yes, sir, it's used to prove the bloodlines of wizards."

"That is true," Voldemort conceded, "but it's alternate and more relevant purpose is to test the bloodlines of muggleborns. Observe." He removed the stopper from the bottle and poured several drops onto the small circle at the end of the parchment. The blood sank into the parchment, filling the circle and turning blue as expected. Hermione was, after all, a witch. As Draco watched, a thin red line ran out from the initial circle to split and form two small red dots. From those two red dots, two new red lines ran out to split and form four red dots. The pattern continued across the parchment for two feet before the blood faded out. Red lines spread throughout the page from their parent dots to form smaller red dots. These, too, continued on for several sets before the lines faded out. "Can you tell me what this indicates?"

Again, Draco answered confidently, "It means that Granger is muggleborn, through and through."

"Yes. Tell me: what is the significance of this?"

Draco tensed up once more, "That, erm, my grades ought to be better than hers?"

Voldemort sighed, much to the boy's surprise. "No, Draco. I'm afraid there's a bigger picture here. Do you know how wizards originated?"

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with it, my lord." Draco resisted the urge to slouch down in his chair.

"The first wizards, and witches, mind you, did come from the muggle race. Although it's not certain why, some hundreds of years before the Common Era, a number of people in a remote area of Egypt developed a genetic mutation that gave them the ability to use magic. These wizards found ways to harness their powers through the use of crude wands in such a way that their magic would only operate with the right combination of actions and words. In that time, wizards lived freely among muggles. Soon, the muggles, jealous of the powers they lacked, beseeched their wizarding neighbors to use their magic for their own benefit. Those early wizards obliged, willing to use their power to the benefit of the community.

"As the years passed, the muggles became more demanding, desiring riches and power for themselves. They found ways to coerce their wizarding neighbors into compliance with their wishes. One such method was the use of an anise extract. Anise was, in that time, a flavoring for drinks and was, as such, present in the community. It had been shortly discovered that the genetic mutation of the wizards left them violently allergic to the herb. The wizarding mutation is a recessive trait." Voldemort drew a small table in ink on the corner of the parchment, writing a capital and lowercase "m" on each axis. "The gene for the mutation could potentially be carried through generations of muggles if both parents carry the recessive trait. It is, however, unlikely that the gene would be carried through so many generations without wizarding children being born. As such, we can be sure, as you've said, that Hermione Granger is muggleborn through and through. Can you now tell me the significance of this?"

Draco thought a second, "Hermione Granger is a freak, then?"

Lucius grimaced again at Draco's lack of tact. Voldemort answered, "More or less, yes. It means that Hermione Granger has developed an original mutation like to that of the most ancient witches and wizards."

Here, Lucius picked up the explanation, "As you well know, muggles are becoming increasingly tied into the wizarding community, through marriage or otherwise. As this happens, the risk of wizard kind being exposed, and exploited, note, increases proportionally. As wizards marry with muggles, the wizarding blood, and so the strength of the mutation, become diluted. You know all of these things already. What you may not have realized, Draco, is that the purebloods, too, are becoming weaker. As the pureblood lines intermarry, even centuries of careful inbreeding are causing the mutation to weaken now with every generation. Do you understand?"

"Hermione Granger," he answered, nodding slowly in thought and comprehension, "is new blood."

**Footnotes:   
1**. A London Plane is a type of tree

**Author's Note:** It is, actually, discouraging to see such a poor ratio of reviews to hits on a story. I generally leave a review for any story I read that I like. Even if I don't have anything specific to say, I take a few minutes to thank the author for writing and perhaps point out something that amused me or something that I thought looked odd in the writing.

Please—say something to the authors whose work you're reading.  
a) What did you like about the story? What did you disagree with?  
b) What did you find amusing? What really got to you?  
c) What did you think of the writing? Did you like it? Do you see any recurring mistakes that should be addressed for future reference?  
d) What do you think is going to happen? If there was anything unexplained, what do you think it's going to mean? Do you have any other thoughts on the plot?

Someone has taken time out of their schedule to write a story that you might only read for five or ten minutes. If you did like a story, please respect the author and leave a review.


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary:** Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

**Disclaimer:** Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter Three**

As Draco thought of the implications, Voldemort continued, "We will need Hermione Granger to further our cause. For that, we will need her here as soon as possible. You, Draco, are charged with the task of retrieving her."

"Yes, my lord." Draco withheld a groan. This was going to be a real pain.

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Hermione Granger sat, as ever, beside Harry and Ron at breakfast on Saturday morning. This particular morning, however, she was poking at said breakfast with her fork as her companions busied themselves with shoveling their own food into their mouths while attempting to carry on a conversation. She rolled her eyes and blinked sleepily. Leave it to them to not notice her late return from the library the night before.

Hermione had woken (or, rather, come to), in a niche in the wall on the way back from the library. Glancing at her elbow, she theorized again that she could have blacked out the night before, although she didn't remember feeling lightheaded. If she'd hit something sharp on the way down, which wasn't impossible in the dark corridor, it would explain the cut. It didn't explain how she ended up in the niche, but she figured that someone might have tripped over her in the corridor and moved her to prevent others from doing the same. It wasn't a great explanation, but it was as much as she could fairly rationalize without further information.

Hermione left the Great Hall with the boys, having consumed no more or less than two sausages, a piece of toast, and several sips of orange juice. As they boys went off to practice quidditch on the field, Hermione made her way across the grounds to a favorite plane tree near the lake. Sitting up against the tree, Hermione found her place in _Origin of the Wizard_ and began to read.

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Yet disgruntled, Draco emerged again on Hogwarts grounds. Glancing once at the strange portkey, he started back to the castle. Walking by the plane tree, he almost missed the figure sprawled at its base. Hermione Granger, it seemed had fallen asleep reading. He couldn't be sure how long she'd been out for, but decided against testing her. "_Stupefy_," he whispered. Certain that she was fully unconscious, he moved to pick her up. Her book fell, as he ought to have known it would. Picking it up, he noted the title and figured that it might well come to be of even more use to her in the near future. Securing the volume in one hand, he picked up the sleeping girl and set her against his shoulder. Returning again to the porkey, he tightened his hold on both before grabbing hold of the suspended hat.

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When Hermione awoke, she found herself in an apple-green queen-sized bed in a large, pale-grey room. Looking about her surroundings, she found a tall blonde woman shifting an ebony-black desk into the far left corner of the room. On the right wall adjacent to that against which the bed was set, a large closest was to be found. Against the wall to the left of the bed stood a dresser that must have matched the desk, and, looking behind her, she guessed that the headboard must have been included in that set.

When the woman turned, Hermione sat up. "Excuse me," she said, "but what am I doing here? For that matter, where _is_ here, exactly?"

"You're at Malfoy Manor," smiled that woman who must have been Narcissa Malfoy herself.

"Oh," responded Hermione, feeling about for her wand. She frowned, finding none.

"Draco will explain everything in a moment," Narcissa assured her before leaving.

Settling herself back into the bed, Hermione stared at the ceiling for several minutes before she heard the door open again. A familiar cherry trunk floated in, followed by Draco Malfoy. Draco settled the trunk against the foot of the bed. "It doesn't really match, does it?" he asked.

"Would you mind explaining something to me, Malfoy?"

"What would you like to know?"

"I don't know, maybe 'What am I doing in your house?' or 'What are you doing with my trunk?'"

"I'll have you know that it was no piece of cake levitating the damned thing down the stairs of the Gryffindor girls' dormitories without being caught."

"Really? That's a shame." Pausing, she added, "How did you get--"

"How did I get into Gryffindor? Invisibility cloak, obviously."

Hermione blinked. "No. How did you get into the girls' dormitories?"

"Oh. Girls' shoes."

"Wow. I never would have guessed."

"As for what you're doing here, it's been decided that you'll be needed to further our cause."

"Oh, okay." Hermione nodded. "What?!"


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary:** Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

**Author's Note:** I ask that you bear in mind that I haven't read the sixth book, but I'm working to see what information I can research via Wikipedia (which appears to have a rather extensive database on the series) on horcruxes, Tom Marvolo Riddle's past, and Half-Blood Prince in general. Know that some background information will not fit with the book, whether this is done intentionally or not. It is safe to assume that this story is not, actually, compatible with Half-Blood Prince and would be best considered as such.

I'm trying to revise the last chapter because the page dividers have decided not to actually show up. That's been a disappointment.

**Disclaimer:** Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter Four**

Draco Malfoy faced an angry Hermione as she stood before him, glaring expectantly and tapping her foot in common time (1). He sighed. "It's rather complicated and there are some things you won't understand unless you know more of the background. Will you listen to me, then?" She conceded and he continued.

"Voldemort's original intentions could have been called noble. There was an incident prior to his fourth year at Hogwarts in which he had a close encounter with a group of muggle boys who had witnessed him accidentally using magic in public. He realized then the danger posed to wizards by their ties to muggles." He stopped thoughtfully, then, and went to pull two volumes from the trunk to hand them to Hermione. Taking them, she noted that the first was the _Origin of the Wizard_ volume she had borrowed from the library. The second was an old, used volume with the title _Exposure and Exploitation: a History of Muggle Mishaps_. "After this incident, Voldemort--"

"Tom Riddle," Hermione corrected.

"'Tom,' then, in his fourth year, began to persuade his closer friends, if they could be called as much, of his fears for the wizarding world by the threat of muggles. Awed and inspired by the boy's conviction, they followed." He paused, hesitant, before moving to check outside the door for listeners. "Hermione, what I'm about to tell you is to stay between us. My mother has explained several things to me in recent years at risk to herself. In that fourth year, Vol-- 'Tom' became unstable. As his anxiety grew, he ate and slept infrequently. He became increasingly paranoid through that year and his fascination with dark magic grew in that time. He stole often to the library's restricted section in his crazed insomnia. In the day, he would disappear for hours on end and was, on occasion, found by his awed followers to be practicing dark magic on those animals found at the outermost edges of the Forbidden Forest. In his fifth year he began practicing Unforgivables in deeper parts of the forest. It was here that Hagrid once witnessed Tom's crimes. Knowing that the other boy would do what he could to protect creatures of any sort, Tom threatened to tell the headmaster of that time about a pet monster he knew Hagrid had been keeping in a remote part of the school."

"An acromantula," Hermione supplied.

"Yes. Hagrid, fearing for his secret arachnid companion, submitted to say nothing of what he'd seen. It was later into that year that Tom first killed a wizard, albeit indirectly."

"When he loosed the basilisk in the school," Hermione followed.

Draco nodded. "When the rumor of a monster got out, Hagrid refused to believe Tom's accusations that the acromantula was responsible. Fearing again for his friend, Hagrid released the creature into the Forbidden Forest. Knowing that Hagrid now suspected him with lessened fears for the acromantula, Tom took a precaution and reported Hagrid's doings to the headmaster. With the school believing that the monster responsible for the girl's death was in Hagrid's possession, the boy was expelled, leaving Tom without worries of his actions being reported or concerns of any further suspicion that might lead back to him. With the obvious exception of Dumbledore, of course.

"Tom laid low for the next several years, involving himself in several minor incidents that could not be traced back to him. The boy had no family to speak of and no remorse for any of his actions. For fear and hatred of his own roots, he murdered his muggle relatives in the summer before his fifth year. In the end of his fifth year, he learned about horcruxes from the potions professor Slughorn. He spent the rest of that year and half of the next researching whatever he could on Horcruxes in his almost nightly visits to the Hogwarts library to search the restricted section. In that sixth year, however, things for Tom seemed to be improving. He spoke little of his paranoia, although it clearly still occupied his mind, and began eating and sleeping regularly.

"He frequented the library during the day, researching certain relics out of what he claimed was a nagging curiosity, even as you've done. A select few of these relics would later become his horcruxes. He devoted much of his sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts to almost constant research, learning all that he could before he finished school and began what would be his reign of terror. In those years after Hogwarts, he rallied supporters to him who came, awed by power, like moths to the flame.

"_Voldemort_," Draco stressed then, "could be considered as a flame more than anything else. A flame's sole purpose is to burn. A flame cannot care for the matter it feeds upon or the fate of those moths drawn to it. All else is expendable, so long as the flame continues to burn. Much of the history during that post-Hogwarts time period is infamous, feared, and unclear, but Voldemort's general activity remained fairly consistent.

"The part that becomes relevant to you I've learned only recently. In addition to frantically trying to eradicate those with ties to the muggle world and disposing of those who attempted to stop him from doing so, Voldemort sought to find a source of new power for the wizarding community. As muggles are bred into wizarding lines, the wizarding mutation is weakened by generations of carriers (2). As purebloods are married into other pureblood families, these lines, too, become weaker with each generation of inbreeding." Draco paused, watching Hermione absorbing, filing, and applying information mentally. "You, Hermione, have no history of wizards in your family."

"But what about--"

"No," Draco interrupted, "I collected the blood sample myself and saw the heritage chart firsthand. You have no family history of wizards, recessive or otherwise."

Hermione frowned then as everything clicked in her mind. "Wonderful," she said, sitting down. "I'm fresh meat for the genetic market."

**Footnotes:**

1) Common time is a time in which a piece of music is counted. Common time is the understood synonym for 4/4 time. Common time was, to my recollection, originally based on heartbeat and so could be set by a conductor in accordance with his pulse.

2) To explain the genetics involved here, the dominant gene 'M' is the gene for "muggledom," if you will. The recessive gene 'm' is that of the wizarding mutation. If Lily Evans was born to a muggle family, without an original wizarding mutation, wizarding would have had to run in her family for a generation or so. If a grandparent or great-grandparent was of wizarding blood, either unknowingly or having left his/her family as a half-blood "squib" with their history concealed, on each side of Lily's family, it would explain her being born to a muggle family. The same would be true of Voldemort. If a pure (MM) muggle and a wizard (mm) had a child, it would be Mm and so a muggle carrying the recessive wizarding gene. If such Mm persons should be running amuck in the muggle community, a decent number of muggleborn children could be expected to result when two carriers come together. It is, then, for this reason that Voldemort has made a point to trace Hermione's bloodline to confirm that she does have an original mutation.

If any of this seems yet unclear, I would ask that you let me know so that any necessary clarifications can be added.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary:** Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

**Author's Note:** I'm well aware that I've not updated in a fair while. It does me little good to force a story. Inspiration for me tends to come in rounds. Here, for instance, I hope to finish one or two chapters.

**Disclaimer:** Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter Five**

Narcissa Malfoy reentered the room. "Hermione, dear, the Dark Lord will see you now."

Hermione followed Mrs. Malfoy to what she presumed was a study of sorts. There waited Lucius and Voldemort himself. Also present were Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Narcissa made to leave once Hermione and Draco had seated themselves (rather, Draco had seated himself—Hermione had required some subtle prompting). The door pushed open again and an uncomposed Crabbe and Goyle entered, trying to steady their breathing. Lucius' irritated gaze suggested that they were tardy in their arrival. Once these two had seated themselves, Voldemort spoke.

"Doubtless, you're all aware of my reasons for calling you here." It seemed the more doubtless to Hermione that no one was entirely sure of why they were here. Blaise, at least, remained entirely cool, which suggested that he might actually have been more informed. Draco, she'd gathered, knew little yet of Voldemort's actual plans. Pansy, for her part, exchanged uncertain glances with Crabbe and Goyle before returning her gaze to Voldemort. Hermione followed suit as Voldemort continued. "Miss Granger has been chosen to be inducted into our circle." _Cult_, Hermione thought, suppressing the urge to correct the man. "As such, the six of you will be sent to a summer home to become better aquainted." He was smiling now, which Hermione found a little unnerving. "I will warn you, however, that the location will be secured and no magic will be allowed." He gestured for his audience to disband. "Miss Granger, I hope you enjoy your stay with us. Draco, I wish for you to remain." Hermione glanced at Draco, who nodded to his… leader.

Hermione was escorted back to her room where she sank into her bed once again for lack of anything better to do, presently. She would need her rest, anyways, if she was ever to get out of this… situation.

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She woke to Draco tapping (patting, rather) at her shoulder. She pulled her face out of the pillows to find that it was morning and she'd slept through the night in her clothes. "We're leaving this morning. You'll have to drag your trunk yourself, I'm afraid." Hermione shrugged. She'd not lived around magic for all of her life, so she didn't find the task terribly tedious.

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Several hours' time found Hermione eating at a good-sized round table. They'd apparated (with assistance) to a plot of land thick with trees. Moreover, they'd apparated outside a clearing which was occupied by a two story cottage with a modest yard. Lucius Malfoy, their escort, led them into the cottage quietly. They'd been led through the gate of a low, wooden fence and then through the yard into the cottage. "Miss Granger's room is on the first floor. The rest of you will find your own rooms upstairs." He gave a sort of painful smile and continued. "As you know, no magic will be permitted during your stay, so Miss Granger may have to… 'show you the ropes' to magicless living. You'll have one house elf arriving once a week to bring food, but that's all." Mr. Malfoy nodded and turned to leave. Hermione watched out the window as the man who'd been planting something along the perimeter of the clearing finished his work and stood, addressing Lucius. Lucius nodded and spoke before ushering the man through the forest.

Hermione stood at the door, facing the interior of the cottage. To her left, her year-mates made their way up the stairway, which extended up half of one wall before turning and continuing across half of another. Beyond the stairs, a kitchen could be seen that included a refrigerator, range (1), and microwave. A sliding glass door was to be found in the far left corner of the kitchen, opening to a patio facing the backyard. To her right, more or less, was the living room. A sofa set and several chairs were arranged to fit a small group comfortably. At most, it could probably seat seven. Past the living room was a walled-off area that she presumed to be her bedroom. To her left again sat a washer and dryer in the corner beside the stairs. The door under the stairs stood open to reveal what must have been a three-quarter bath (2).

Following her year-mates upstairs, she found an open hall with a banister that overlooked the lower level. Immediately at the top of the stairs, a full bath (3) was to be found. Turning and continuing right, Draco and Blaise had claimed the first room. The door was open, revealing two beds in a moss-green shade. The two boys were carefully unpacking their things. Turning right again, the next room was smaller with one bed. At one time it might have been a small study, but it was now a single bedroom. Pansy was sitting on the twin bed, this one having a light-purple floral print, taking in her surroundings. The last room revealed two more twin beds, each dark blue, upon which Crabbe and Goyle had piled their things as they unloaded their trunks. At the end of the hall was a window overlooking the front yard. Hermione then turned around and returned down the stairs to check out her own room, Hermione found this room to have a queen-sized bed (it must have previously served as a master bedroom). This room was decorated in yellow and blue with white walls. The sheets and pillow on the bed were a denim-blue, but the comforter was a sort of petal-yellow. Hermione set down her trunk and made her way out to the kitchen to further examine its contents. The appliances all seemed to be in working order (although the toaster was admittedly worn) and the fridge was stocked well enough to feed a half a dozen teenagers for a week. Satisfied, Hermione went out the back door to the patio.

Looking on to the backyard there was an old swing set with metal poles (which didn't necessarily guarantee its stability). To the left of these was a small group of trees continuing from the forest into the fenced land. Between two of these a hammock was strung. Pansy waved from the hammock (Hermione figured she must have used the front door). Pansy got out and walked over to Hermione. "The hammock could use some mending, but it's sturdy enough. Have you seen the garden?" Hermione shook her head. Pansy led her around the corner to the right, revealing a garden that stretched out about four feet all along the side of the cottage. A fair three-fourths of the garden was devoted to vegetables and fruits, the last bit held a flower garden. Hermione turned back to Pansy. "It's still September, so some of the vegetables should be harvestable, yet. They walked back around to the sliding door where Pansy paused to examine some potted plants while Hermione continued into the kitchen.

Blaise stood beside the microwave, intently reading a frozen chicken pot pie box and pushing the number buttons futilely. He looked up at her. "Could you help?" Hermione read the box and started the meal. "You have to press "Time Cook" first," she explained. "It's an older microwave." Digging through the cupboards, she found peanut butter and jelly and prepared a sandwich. She sat across from Blaise at the table, eating her sandwich. Pansy came inside, dug out a water pitcher, and returned there attentions to a pot of geraniums on the patio. Blaise spoke, "She has an almost scary interest in plants. Deadly ones catch her particular interest, but don't get her started on out-of-season fruits & vegetables, either." Hermione cocked her head slightly. Given Pansy's behavior at school, she never would have guessed. As if picking up on her thoughts, Blaise continued, "She actually gets fair marks in school. On tests, that is. She doesn't tend to turn in the homework; for all that she does it." Blaise stood to tend to his empty plate and fork before returning upstairs. Pansy came in and followed suit. Hermione finished her sandwich and made her way back to her own room to unpack.

Footnotes:

1) A range, if you don't know the term, is a cooking unit consisting of both a stovetop and oven.

2) A three-quarter bathroom includes a sink, toilet, and shower.

3) A full bath includes a sink, toilet, shower, and bathtub.

**Author's Note:** It's not a very eventful chapter, I know. Really, it's just setting up a scenario, much as the first chapter did. And for all of that, I think it was still a decent chapter. I'm going to be nice, though, and try to put up another chapter very soon.


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary:** Draco Malfoy thought he knew everything he needed to know about Hermione Granger. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it might well change their destinies.

**Author's Note:** I'm well aware that I've not updated in a fair while. It does me little good to force a story. Inspiration for me tends to come in rounds. Here, for instance, I hope to finish one or two chapters.

**Disclaimer:** Although I won't claim to be wholly certain of anything, to the best of my knowledge, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter & Co., not I.

**Mutant**

**Chapter Six**

Hermione was plotting as she unpacked her things. In actuality, it wasn't so much plotting as it was thinking through her current situation. Real plotting wouldn't come until later. As it was, she hated not knowing things-- being "out of the loop," if you will—and as such, she was becoming rather angry with the state of things. She was setting some books upon a shelf when Draco came in.

In all honesty, his motives in entering had been wholly innocent, having come to ask if she happened to have a muggle clock they might use. Draco, however, as a long-time enemy of Hermione, was viewed as an ideal target at whom to direct her anger. "Could you knock first, or are you really so incapable of respecting others' privacy?"

"Well, um… I—"

"Since you're here, are you at least going to fill me in?"

At this, Draco smirked, regaining his composure. "I don't know… Given the greeting I received, I'm not so sure I'm prepared to do so."

Hermione bristled, but clenched her teeth. Getting hooked wouldn't help her any. "Alright, I'm sorry. It was unnecessary for me to lash out at you."

"Yes it was," Draco added coolly. "Especially seeing as I have the information you're wanting." He sat on the corner of the bed nearest the door. "Alright, then, what would you like to know?"

Hermione sat on the edge of the desk that was stationed against the wall. "I've a fair of Voldemort's intentions from our last talk, but I don't know what his more specific plans are."

"Well," Draco started, "I can tell you that your safety is very nearly assured on our part. They would want you safe, of course." Hermione nodded, following. "You're aware that he pulled me aside after our meeting?" More nodding. "And you already know that you're wanted for your… genetic material. To further recap, Voldemort is trying to ensure the survival of the wizarding world and will go to drastic lengths do further his cause." He sighed and shook his head, preparing himself. "You're not going to like this part…" He stood and went to the door, checking the surrounding area before closing the door again.

Hermione spoke, "The master bedrooms of many cabins are made to isolate sound for reasons I consider to be sensible but slightly lewd (1)."

Draco actually blushed at this. "Well, actually… Voldemort held me after not only to talk about his plans for you, but also his plans for me. His plans for the both of us, really. Nothing is expected of us for a fair while, but eventually it is expected that we produce an heir of sorts." The majority of his face was now tinged pink. "I suppose we're really supposed to produce multiple heirs, in time. Those heirs, you can imagine, would then be brought up to be married into pureblooded wizarding families."

Hermione was obviously not happy, but she didn't seem surprised as she took in the information. She bit her lower lip on the side. "How do you feel about these arrangements?"

Draco, sitting on the bed corner again, thought for a minute or two before he spoke. "Part of me is honored that I was chosen to do this… but at the same time, I'm not really comfortable with it. Not only is this situation made awkward by our own bad history together, but it doesn't… It doesn't feel right. Does that make sense?" More nodding on Hermione's part. "Conceivably, I think I could do this—have a… relationship that would have these effects, but not like this. Not because it's expected of me—of us. I don't think that's healthy. That's not a good reason to bring a child into the world. The circumstances are all wrong. And that child would grow up in the same circumstances. I don't think it's right to _use _people for their genetic material. I understand that it's for a good cause and with good intentions… but I don't know that I could do that."

"Especially not under the orders of someone as unstable as Voldemort." Blaise had walked right into the room, startling Hermione. "The door's soundproof enough, but I've got superior hearing," he explained, winking at Hermione, who still looked rather frazzled. "Don't worry, Granger, I'm on your side, more or less. Draco is too, if he didn't let on. It's true, though. Voldemort is a very unstable character. It's against my better judgment to follow someone that paranoid, but I've got enough common sense to let him think I'm a good supporter. Draco and Pansy are the same way. Draco's coldly convincing, but Pansy's the great actress." He grinned.

"You're biased, mate," Draco interjected, swinging a nearby pillow at Blaise's arm. Blaise's grin only widened.

"I told you before that Pansy's a smart girl. She has a pretty convincing act going on, though. For instance: not turning in her homework, but getting good test marks so that her overall grades were rather poor but she passed classes— she actually had a stash of completed essays under her bed that were burned at the end of each year in private. Playing dumb has been working well for her because it keeps her under everyone's radar."

A familiar voice was heard as the door swung open. "I'd like to think I've got some other handy qualities—extra sensitive hearing, for one." She winked at Blaise, who blushed. Closing the door, she moved Blaise to sit on the corner adjacent to Draco's before taking a place in his lap. "It's not been too difficult to deceive our parents. They want to think we're following in their footsteps like good little boys and girls and are all too eager to believe it. So long as we go through the motions, their brains fill in the rest the way they want to."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "So, Miss Parkinson, is there a story behind this 'extra-sensitive hearing' you two share?"

Blaise blushed again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually, that's kind of my fault…"

Pansy took over, "Blaise here had a rendezvous with a girl from Beauxbatons the summer after the Triwizard Tournament. She seemed pretty desperate and he thought to take advantage."

"Little did I know she was a different kind of desperate and taking advantage of _me_. After a few minutes of snogging in an alley in wizarding London she _bit _me. The young lady was a vampire, apparently. As it was, I wasn't very keen on dying so I grabbed a small knife I keep on my person and managed to change myself with some forced assistance from her (2)."

"I've always been fairly good at eavesdropping, so I started suspecting it when Blaise could always tell I was listening. We started talking more, at which point I learned about his vampiric-ness, and then we started going out. I knew he was tired of chasing rabbits in the woods and was becoming less able to do so last year under Umbridge, so I… brought Blaise around to changing me. As long as everyone thinks we're just snogging, they won't think much of the marks if they see them." She pulled up her sleeve then to reveal a small number of puncture marks, most of which looked faded. "One of the perks, at least, is that wounds heal more quickly, so we can isolate the damage areas. It also helped to play the dissatisfied whore-type in addition to the apathetic slacker. Because I was following Draco while I was more-or-less apparently involved with Blaise, people preferred to ignore me if they could. Really, it's all the better for me to eavesdrop now. It only helps my cause."

Hermione frowned. "Didn't you miss having friends? Girl friends?"

Pansy sighed. "I couldn't have had any real good friends, anyways. I couldn't get close to people in this group because I'd be more conspicuous and I couldn't be good friends with others both because of their prejudices against me because my parents are affiliated with Voldemort and because I'd still be more conspicuous in general. It's been safer for me to stay, as Blaise said, 'under the radar.' In any case, we've established that none of us want to be in this situation and none of us are truly devout followers of Voldemort. Next, I suppose, we'll need to figure out what and where our present limitations are and how to overcome them."

**Footnotes:**

1. That is, on my part, completely made up. I have no idea if this is true anywhere, but I think it would make sense.

2. Blaise cut the girl and drank some of her blood in order to change himself and so stay alive.

**Author's Note:** I really am pleased with this chapter. I hadn't initially planned to have Blaise and Pansy be all vampiric, but I found that it makes sense and it'll come into play in a while. It just won't be a central point of the story. I do love vampires, but it can't always be about them.

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